Day with the Badgermoles
by RavenAbyss
Summary: Toph takes Lin to see some old friends of hers, and Lin learns to see the world the way her mother does.


:3 I didn't know whether to put this in the Avatar or Korra category so I flipped a coin and placed it here. Enjoy.

Disclaimer:I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, nor any of the characters used.

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A small hand wrapped around her fingers.

"Momma, where are we going?", Toph smiled at the sound of her daughters voice, and curled her fingers around the smaller pair. The two were on vacation at her parents home. It had taken a while but Toph had finally been able to mend her relationship with them. So when the police chief was offered a weeks vacation she saw it as an opportunity for them to spend time with Lin. But that wasn't the only reason Toph had chosen to come here.

"We're going to visit some old friends of mine.", She replied as they continued their climb up the mountain. It had been years since she had come here but her feet still knew the way. The unmistakable dips in the earth, the feel of the dirt and the rocks buried beneath it. All of it was familiar and brought back memories of the times she had traveled this path.

"They live out here?" Toph laughed. Lin was so used to city life that living anywhere else seemed odd to her. Even the Bei Fong house seemed small.

"Yes Lin, they do. In fact we are almost there." Lin turned her head to the left then the right.

"Momma I don't see a house."she looked up at her mother, noticing the smile that lay beneath pale eyes. Lin had asked about her mothers eyes before, and every time she did people always said "Your mother will tell you.", and one day she did.

They were walking toward the dock on Air Temple Island when her mother stopped in the middle of the path. Lin looked up at her questionably.

"Lin." Toph didn't really know what to say. Very rarely had being blind actually bothered her. The last time it had gotten to her was when Lin was born. She had wanted to see her daughters face so badly but eventually she had come to terms with it, relying on her sense of touch and peoples descriptions instead. But this was different. Some how she knew she would have to explain it to Lin eventually, no matter how much she had wished Lin would figure it out on her own. Just not now. Not to a five year old.

"Your aunt Katara said you asked about my eyes again today."

Lin nodded unaware that her mother couldn't tell. It didn't matter though, her heart beat told Toph she was nervous. She must think shes done something wrong Toph thought. She sat on the ground and crossed her legs.

"Come here little badgermole" she said, pulling Lin into her lap.

Lin looked up at her mother, she had a smile on her face but for some reason she looked sad.

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

"I thought you would be mad and earthbend me like you did uncle Sokka."

Toph laughed, "He deserved that kiddo. You on the other hand didn't do anything wrong. You had to find out eventually."

"Find out what?" Lin asked curiously.

"I'm blind Lind." Lin sat quietly, and Toph knew she hadn't understood, "My eyes don't work. They're broken."

"But momma, how do you see if they're broken?"

Toph ruffled her hair "I see with my feet."

"Here we are." Lin snapped out of the day dream and turned her head. In front of them was a large cave. Lin looked around. There was still no house. Maybe they had missed it. She wondered if her moms feet could see a house from down there.

Toph started walking toward the entrance of the cave until she met resistance from Lins arm.

"Whats wrong kiddo?"

"Why are we going in there?" she whined.

"My friends live in there." Toph started walking again, a hesitant Lin followed her.

They were in the cave now. Toph could tell Lin was nervous not through her heartbeat this time but the trembling of her hand. She didn't like the idea of scaring her daughter, but she wanted Lin to learn earthbending the way she had.

They keep walking deeper into the cave. With each step it got darker until Lin couldn't see her mother beside her.

"I wanna go back." her voice trembled.

"Lin we're almost there."

"I wanna go back." she pleaded, squeezing her mothers hand, "Its scary and dark. I don't like it."

"Dark? But this is what I see every day. Remember my eyes don't work."

"But you said you see with your feet."

Toph chuckled, apparently she hadn't explained her blindness well enough "This is what I see through my eyes everyday Lin. I've grown up in the dark and it's not a scary place. But you're right I do see with my feet just in a different way. I cant see things like color or faces, but I can get sort of an out line of everything. I do that by using earthbending."

Lin still didn't fully understand but if her mother wasn't afraid of the dark then she wouldn't be either. She wanted to be just like her after all. They walked farther into the cave. Lin was still uneasy but didn't complain even when her feet hit a rock or when the earth dipped suddenly, eventually she calmed down completely.

" Momma, can you teach me earthbending?" Lin asked, "Tenzin is already learning how to airbend."

"I'm planning on it kiddo." they stopped "That's why we're here. Listen."

Lin was quite for a minute, but she didn't hear anything. She was about to say something when a small rumbling to her left caught her attention. It grew louder as each second passed and Lin pressed against her mother. The rumbling suddenly stopped.

"Momma?" Lins voice shock.

Toph barley heard her. She was to busy reaching out to one of the huge creatures that now stood before them. She touched its snout, running her hand through its soft dirt coated fur. She smiled as she was rewarded with a lick from the creature, it then nuzzled its head against her.

"You remember." She breath in the familiar scent of its fur. "These are my friends Lin. They're called badgermoles."

"Isn't that what you call me?"

"It is. These were the first earthbenders." She continued "Their eyes are broken to, but they also use earthbending to see. I got lost in this cave once, and they found me. We understood each other because we're blind. And because of that they taught me earthbending."

Toph let go of her hand, "Hold out your hand."

Lin held it out and waited. The bangermole turned it head and began sniffing her hand, It lightly nudge its snout against her palm, giving her the okay to pet it. Lin smiled as she stroked the creatures soft fur, and she couldn't help but laugh when the creature licked her face, almost knocking her down.

"They like you." Toph said "They are going to teach you earthbending like they did me."

"But they taught you because your blind. My eyes work." She felt her mother ruffle her hair.

"Yes but you Lin, are the daughter of the greatest earthbender ever." Toph replied "You're my little badger mole. So of course they will teach you. These guys will teach you the how to use earthbending as an extension of yourself. Soon you'll be seeing with your feet to."

"Just like you?"

"Just like me."

Toph carried Lin on her shoulders as they walked back. They had spent hours with the badgermoles, and now Lin was beginning to under how her mother saw the world.

"Don't forget kiddo you've still got a lot to learn. That was only the basics. I'll be teaching you the rest." Toph smiled proudly "Next time we visit twinkle toes you'll be wiping the floor with Tenzin."

"I could beat Tenzin without earthbending." Lin huffed.

"Lady Bei Fong! What of earth?" A feminine voice interrupted.

Toph recognized the voice as one of her parents servants. The servant looked at the pair, Lin was atop Lady Bei Fongs shoulders, their cloths and faces were covered in dirt. And was that bits of rock in their hair?

"Look at how filthy you two are. You look like badgermoles." She exclaimed.

The mother and daughter just laughed and she sighed at their identical mischievous grins. She had to admit they were cute, but that didn't mean she would enjoy washing their clothes.

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:3 R&R?


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